1839.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



18S 



meretricious allurements of the artist, and that they may have admitted the 

 accessories of pictorial representation to have the weight of argument and 

 reason, particularly when colom-ed views and scenery, aided ;)erhaps by false 

 perspective, or taken from impossible points of sight, are introduced to the 

 destruction of any common ground of comparison. The delusion is only 

 eventually detected when it is past remedy. 



Another evil, whicli the necessary inexperience of committees, as at 

 present constituted, renders it ditBcult for tliem to meet, is, that a design 

 may be selected for its decorative character, which it afterwards proves 

 inexpedient to carry into effect, on accoimt of the expense attending it. 

 In this case it frequently happi^ns, that, in preference to encountering the 

 inconveniences of retracing their proceedings, the committee sufi'er the 

 design to be stripped of every thing, which originally recommended it to 

 their notice ; thus disappointing the expectations of the public, and in- 

 flicting a flagrant injustice tipon the other competitors. 



In proceeding to consider what remedies may be suggested for the 

 evils here eimmerated, they -will be found to arise naturally out of the 

 statement itself. 



It is not to be Jotibtcd that the proposers of competitions may prescribe 

 any terms they think fit. VN'hether, therefore, they prefer laying down 

 precise instructions on every point, or leaving themselves a certain latitude 

 in their decision, or making it entirely open to competitors to ofl'er any 

 iTuggestions that may occur to them, il rests entirely with the professor to 

 decide for himself, whether the conditions, and the personal character of 

 those who propose them, are satisfactoiw. 



But whatever the conditions may be, they ought to be clear and explicit, 

 that the competitor may know precisely and unequivocally upon what he 

 has to rely. Whenever it may be expedient to lay do'\ra definite instruc- 

 tions, they ought to be strictly adhered to, when judgment is to be founded 

 upon them, and every design rejected, which shall be found not to conform 

 to them. 



In framing instructions care should be taken to distingui-sh accurately 

 between the objects to be attained, and the means of attaining them. The 

 former cannot be too accurately ascertained, or too explicitly described ; 

 but the latter should be left as much as possible to the architect, for other- 

 wise a proper scope will not be afforded for the exercise oj' a variety of 

 suggestions, and one great end of competition will be frustrated. If, how- 

 ever, there should be a jdecided bias in favour of any particular style or 

 mode of composition, it ought to be ascertained and stated in the in- 

 structions. 



As the formation of definite preliminary instructions, and a decision 

 strictly founded upon them require more experience and knowledge of 

 architecture than miscellaneous committees may be generally supposed to 

 possess, it is suggested that in all cases competent professional advisers 

 should be referred to upon these and other points connected with the 

 duties of the Committee ; but without taking the linal decision out of the 

 hands of the original parties to the competition, or relieving them from its 

 responsibility. 



Professional opinions are especially requisite in regard to practical con- 

 straction, also to minute arrangements, as of light, ventilation, and warm- 

 ing, in reference for example to prisons, hospitals, and places for public 

 meetings. The maximum amoiuit of the intended expenditure shotlld be 

 given, and when a selection is made, proper means should be employed to 

 ascertain thai the cost of executing the «design will not exceed the 

 estimate. 



In order to assist the judgment by establishing an uniform comparison, 

 the drawings presented for competition should always be made to one 

 scale; and limited to one style of finishing, as in Indian ink, with no 

 colour, unless for such a purpose as that of distinguishing different mate- 

 rials in sections. Perspective dra^-ings, if correctly made, are certainly 

 desirable to show the proper effect of designs ; but they should be re- 

 stricted to specified points of view. Models should be received with 

 caution, as not being miexcepiionable tests of the merits of a design. 



But they must ad^■ocate the principle, that as much publicity as possible 

 should be given to the proceedings in all cases. For although the public 

 at large cannot be accepted as a competent judge upon cases requiring 

 peculiar attcTition and information, yet the exhibition alone of the draw- 

 ings, accompanied by the instructions upon whicli they are founded, can- 

 not fail to render those, to whom judgment is confided, botli diligent and 

 scrupulous in the discharge of their diuy. To effect this object, however, 

 experience has shown, that the expression of the public opinion must pre- 

 cede, as well as follow, the decision of the judges. The public exhibition 

 of designs, previously to the final decision upon them, might render it ex- 

 pedient to follow generally the practice, now only partially adopted, of 

 concealing the names of competitors under a motto or cypher. On any 

 other ground the practice is scarcely \\orthy of mention', and is liable to 

 the objection of lieing deceptive; for your Committee have sufficient 

 evidence to prove, that, though apparently fair, it is absolutely futile in 

 effect. 



Although the inquiries, which may be addressed hy professional men to 

 the institutors of competitions, must necessarily be dictated by the peculiar 

 .ircumstances of every case, yet the following, although merely proposed 

 as explanatory of the intentions of the committee, mav be found generally 

 applicable. 



By whom are the designs to bo examined and selected ? 

 Have any designs been laid before the parties previoi'.sly to the competition 

 being proposed? 



Have the parties any architect, or person professing to be an architect, ia 

 their employ ? 



Will any means be adopted to ascertain that the designs can be executed for 

 the sums estimated ? 



Will the parties undertake to lay aside all designs which cannot be executed 

 for the Slim estimated? 



Is it the intention of the parties at once to exclude from the competition all 

 designs not in strict conformity with their instructions in every respect ? 



Will the architect, whose design is selected, be employed to execute the 

 work, provided his character and .standing in the profession be such as to 

 render him unexceptionable ? 



REVIEWS- 



llhislrations of Science hy Professors of King's College, London ; Me- 

 chanics, ^y the Eev. H. Moselet, M. A., F. R. S., Professor of 

 Nat. Philosophy. London : Longman, Orme and Co., 1S39. 

 One of the most convincing arguments perhaps, in this comniercial 

 country against any single institution for engineering education in 

 this city, or indeed'in any other, is the listlessncss which results from 

 the want of competition. Competition is ono of the grand principles 

 evolved by the investigations of the political economists, — perhaps 

 the truest, and one that influences not only trade, but many other 

 economical pursuits. Lord Brougham, applying this to politics, has, in 

 his recent work on Eminent Statesmen, pointed out the mathematical 

 operation of this law, if we may so term it, by asserting that the result 

 is to produce an action neither of one side nor of another, but com- 

 pounded of the two, just like the movement of two physical powers. 

 We may leave to others to discuss that question, but perhaps some of 

 our philosophical friends may be able to demonstrate that thus of two 

 wrong courses a right one may be produced. If we consider thework- 

 ing of this competition in other branches of professional education we 

 see at once in what a different position we stand from other countries. 

 At Paris there is the only medical school for all Fr.ince ; and it cer- 

 tainly presents opportunities for ensuring the selection of the highest 

 talent, and concentrating everything in one magnificent establishment. 

 In London there are no less than fourteen complete schools: at 

 Dublin three ; besides nearly a score provincial establishments. The 

 effect of this, some would say, would most certainly be to ensure 

 iiiedioority, by the employment of so many individuals, while the 

 dispersion of talent would very much enfeeble the whole course of 

 medical education. The operation, on the contrary, is, hy the mainte- 

 nance of an energetic competition, ever to elevate the standard, and 

 ensure the ascendancy of men of talent ; and every schoolis obliged to 

 make the greatest exertions to cimmand pupils, since it is only by 

 securimr able professors that they can maintain their standing. It 

 must be remembered, that none of these schools have the privilege of 

 giving licenses to practice, and that the examining body is totally 

 distinct from the instructive. At Paris it is a principle something 

 like this, and tot.dly distinct from the system adopted, which maintains 

 the superiority of that school ; for from the turbulence of the pupils, 

 they as speedily put down an obnoxious profes^or as the incipient 

 surgeons of London ; and thus counteract the evils of a stagnant system 

 and government control ; although it is not an impossible occurrence 

 for a professor to be absent from his chair a year, or even two. The 

 beauties of a non-rompcting system were most admirably illustrated in 

 the recent proceedings at Oxford, and bear almost too much the 

 appearance of irony even to be quoted with senousncss. The case was 

 briefly this; Professor Daubeny, and other teacheis of the natural 

 sciences— who are the only professors who teach at all, in consequence 

 of the miserable paucity of their auditors, (Daubeny's chemical class 

 being ELEVEN ! I) broug"lit f /rward a law to render attendance on one of 

 the scientihc courses imperative on students proceeding to a bachelor's 

 degree of arts, and making in consequence some proformal alterations, 

 increasing the number of lectures of the professors. Upon which 

 proposition, the decision of the learned authorities was, thjt no com- 

 pulsory attendance on the courses should be enacted, but that the 

 proposed regulations as to more frequent lectures should be enacted; by 

 which solen"in farce, an import.int question was eluded, and well-deserv- 

 ing men were entrapped into unnecessary duties. The zeal of such 

 men as Daubeny, and his colleagues, cannot indeed be too highlv 

 commended; when, instead of profiting by the do-nothing example of 

 their brethren, they continue to devote their talents to audiences ot 

 cleren, in the First University of the World. 



To come, however, to the instance presented by the volume before 

 us, we have every reason to congratulate ourselves upon possessing the 

 hou-e divided within itself, instead of that founded upon the rock, or 

 rather pillow. University College came first into the field pledged 

 to the adoption of the most enlightened principles ; and King s 

 Coljegg Tras bioiisht ia as its opponeat ; aadsaosi nob-ly has the ^ontesi 



O 



